Smiles and masks
by youreapainter
Summary: Gale had seen a lot of women crying during his life. But seeing Delly Cartwright cry? That was weird, to say the least. Disturbing. Not a Gale/Delly ship fic, only a fic with Gale and Delly as main characters.


**Disclaimer: I owe nothing but my imagination. The Hunger Games, Gale Hawthorne, Delly Cartwright and all the other characters belong to Suzanne Collins. Not a Gale/Delly ship fic, just a fic with Gale and Delly as main characters.**

* * *

Gale had seen a lot of women crying during his life. Living in the Seam, where there were always people dying from starvation or even down in the mines, he was kind of used to that. But he never tried using comforting words with them, because he knew that people in there - himself being one of them - didn't like when the others started acting all nosy.

But seeing Delly Cartwright cry? That was weird, to say the least. Disturbing. Delly was always walking around with a big smile on her face, greeting everyone. It was impossible to imagine her without a smile, let alone crying.

That day, though, when Gale walked in, she was seated in the corner of the room, her head buried in her knees. And there was that sound, that annoying sound of female sobs. Her entire body was shaking. She was, indeed, crying. _What the hell?_

He turned around to go away. Delly Cartwright was not from the Seam, but if she came this far to hide and cry, then she certainly didn't want anyone to see her like that.

"G-Gale?"she whispers his name. Gale closes his eyes. _No. Please, don't ask me to help. Don't make me look into your eyes._ When Delly got to the forest and Madge didn't, he started to avoid her as much as he could. She got the same blonde hair as Madge, and the same bright blue eyes. She was kind. And, well, they were from the same part of the town. Looking at Delly Cartwright was like looking at the ghost of Madge Undersee.  
He didn't love Madge. Not in _that_way, at least. But she was with him when he needed her the most, and she helped him, and she had that crazy ability to make everything seem slightly better. She could comfort him with her lips and her kind words. And he couldn't save her.

The worst part was probably having to tell Catnip. Poor Catnip. Lost her only girlfriend.

"Gale, is that you?"she sniffed. Gale turned around to face her.

"Hi, Delly,"was the only thing he could say. As if he could just go away if he pretended not to see her red puffy eyes. They stared at each other for a second, silently. He didn't know what to say. He didn't use to pity people, but there was something very wrong with Delly. So he did what he thought was decent. "What's up? Did something happen?"

"No, I..." she swallowed a lump in her throat. Delly tried to hold back the tears, he could see, but it was impossible. She started crying out loud, and Gale didn't know what to do. He did the same thing he used to do to Posy when she started crying in the middle of the night. Hesitantly, he kneeled by her side and rested his hands on her shoulders.

"Hey, it's... it's ok, Delly." But he knew it wasn't. Not for her, not for him, not for Madge nor Catnip. And he couldn't do anything to help any of them. "It's ok".

"No, it isn't,"she tells him, and it seemed like she was suffocating. "I can't handle it anymore. I lost my parents, Gale. My brother is so lost, and there's nothing I can't do but smile. And now I lost Peeta, too."

"But...Peeta is alive."

"He isn't Peeta. What they did to him, it was all he never wanted. They turned him into a monster. They made him hate Katniss, when she was the only person left to him. Peeta would never hate Katniss, and he would never, ever scream at me!"she cried out, and it seemed like she was suffering physical pain. Maybe she was, after all. Her heart could've been whipped like his back was back in District 12. Maybe she felt something for Peeta like he felt for Catnip. Or, maybe not. "I want my Peeta back. My friend; I want him back. And there's nothing I can do".

He knew that feeling. When he saw Catnip at the train station, after she was crowned Victor with the Mellark boy, he knew she wasn't the same. It would never be the same betweenthem. And he had his thoughts confirmed when he watched the way she cared for Mellark in the Quell. It did hurt a lot. But he had Madge to make him forget all that stuff, for at least one second.

Delly Cartwright didn't have anyone.

"You know, you're probably the only one here who can help him," Gale says at last. "The only person he has left... you know, now that Katniss... anyway. You shouldn't blame it on yourself. It's a heavy burden to carry."

"But someone has to carry it anyway." Delly looked at him and, to his surprise, smiled. "See you later, Gale."

Gale frowns. He didn't understand what in earth was happening there. It didn't make any sense. Gale doesn't like to not know things that seem obvious.

"Delly, what the hell was that?"

"I'm sorry?"

"First I find you here, crying your eyes out, and then you just stop it and start smiling?"

"It's a mask, Gale."

"And why do you wear a mask?"

"Why _do you _wear a mask?"

She was playing with him. Maybe Delly Cartwright was a bit different than he'd thought. He considered not answering her question, but Gale was curious. _Curiosity killed the cat, Gale_, Catnip had told him a long time ago, joking, when he'd asked her something very personal. _Too bad it wasn't Buttercup, huh? _He'd joked back, making her laugh. He hadn't seen Catnip laugh since the 74th Hunger Games.

It wouldn't kill him to open up once. Besides, it wasn't like Delly was going to tell anyone.

"My head is the only place where no one else can invade. It's a place only for me. I don't like to let people know what I'm feeling or thinking."

Delly nods. "Makes sense."

"But how about you, Delly Cartwright?"

"I smile because I don't want anyone else to be sad," she shrugs. That fake smile is still on her lips. But... it seems so real! She must have had years of practice. Gale has years of practice. "You know, it's actually funny. When people look at me and they see me smile, it's like something changes inside them. They see a teenage girl who lost her family and her house, and she is smiling, and this is like a little glimpse of hope. Like Katniss' song; the lullaby. I smile because I know that things will be better someday, and even though I'm sad now, I don't need my brother, orPeeta, to be sad for me."

"Are you sure you can do it on your own?"

"I didn't say I can. I said I will. See you."

He looked into her eyes for a few seconds, and he could almost see Madge in them. It made his heart hurt a little, but he wouldn't look away. You can get addicted to some kinds of pain. And seeing Madge again... well, it could hurt, but it was good. He had to face the ghosts of his past, sooner or later.

And then, she left. Both Madge and Delly. When Gale looked at her, he was almost sure he could see her shoulders down, no matter how hard she tried to hide it, pushing her shoulders back uncomfortably to be in perfect posture.

Almost like she was carrying a real burden.

* * *

**So, what did you think? I like it... but I write better in portuguese. Anyway, send me reviews please! I need some feedback, and I'm scared of ghost readers :( Thanks to posythorne for being my beta, and don't forget to check her fabulous fics out!**


End file.
